SO January 1953 153
SERVICE
AVIATION
Royal Air Force and
Naval Aviation News
Canadian Korean Awards
SEVEN members of No. 426 Transport Squadron, R.C.A.F., have received
awards for their outstanding work while
serving with the Korean airlift. F/L. R. M.
Edwards has been awarded the A.F.C.,
and Cpl. J. P. Trudel the British Empire
Medal, while the remainder have received
the Queen's Commendation for Valuable
Service in the Air : they are F/L. R. E.
Burn, F/L. E. R. Wolkowski, F/O. J. P.
Wilson, Sgt. G. Howard and Sgt. L. C.
Potekal.
F.A.A. Memorial
ON Wednesday, May 20, the Duchess of Kent is to unveil a memorial at Lee-
on-Solent, Hants, to the memory of mem
bers of the Fleet Air Arm who were killed
in the 1939-45 war and who have no known
graves. The memorial has been constructed
by the Imperial War Graves Commission.
Next-of-kin of those commemorated on
the memorial will receive personal invita
tions to attend.
Lloyd's Trophy and Cup
FOR the fourth year in succession, No. 2502 (Ulster) L.A.A. Squadron,
R.Aux.A.F., has won the Lloyd's Trophy
for light A.A. gunnery. S/L. F. Shanks,
who commands the squadron, has received
congratulatory messages from Viscount
Brookeborough, Prime Minister of North
ern Ireland, who is also Honorary Air
Commodore of No. 2502, and from
A. Cdre. H. J. G. E. Proud, A.O.C. No. 67
Group.
Lloyd's Cup for rifle shooting, presented
by the Committee of Lloyds for annual
competition by R.A.F. Regiment squad
rons, has been won for the second year in
succession by No. 1 (Armoured Car)
Squadron, now serving with 2nd A.T.A.F.
It is one of the rules governing the award
of the cup that all the men in the squadron,
regardless of their trade, must take part; the
unit with the best average is the winner.
FOR JUNGLE WARFARE: One of the ten S-55 helicopters leaving the flight deck of H.M.S.
"Perseus" on arrival at Singapore. The S-55s are to be used by No. 848 Squadron, R.N., in the
jungle warfare in Malaya.
China Sea Incident W
HEN a Neptune patrol bomber of the
United States Navy was recently shot
down by anti-aircraft fire from the island
of Namoa, near the south China coast, five
aircraft, including a Sunderland and two
Hornets, were sent to the scene from Hong
Kong.
After an hour's search the Sunderland
reported sighting a life-raft which, with
ten men on it, appeared to be drifting
toward the coast. A subsequent message
from the same flying-boat said that a
U.S.N. Mariner had arrived and was trying
to alight in order to pick up the survivors.
Later still an American troopship re
ceived a message to the effect that the
Mariner had crashed and submerged while
trying to take off with the survivors on
board.
The naval base at Langley Point, in the
Philippines, reported that ten of the crews
of the two aircraft, totalling 21 men, had
been rescued and others sighted. There
were, however, no further survivors. Two
of the Neptune's crew of 13 were killed
when it crashed and a further five lost their
lives in the rescuing Mariner's unsuccessful
take off.
For some years the Chinese have been
"trigger happy" when aircraft fly close to
the China coastline, but damage to their
targets has been rare.
The Seven Wonders S
PEAKING to the assembled company
during the recent presentation of wings
to National Service pilots at No. 9 Advanced
Flying Training School, Wellesbourne
Mountford, Warwickshire, Mr. John Pro-
fumo, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the
M.C.A., said that all National Service air
crew would, in future, be trained as fighter
pilots. He referred to the aircraft now
being given super-priority in production
for the R.A.F. as "the seven wonders of the
air world."
R.C.A.F. Base in Germany
AN advance party of the Royal Canadian Air Force has arrived at Zweibriicken,
Germany, to establish a fighter base there.
This will be the third Canadian fighter base
to be established abroad. The other two
are at North Luffenham, England, and
Gros Tenquin, France.
Balliols at Cottesmore
"V[OW in service at No. 7 F.T.S. at
-t^ R.A.F. Station, Cottesmore, Rutland,
are Boulton Paul Balliols. They replace the
Harvards, which have been the standard
advanced trainers since just before the war.
A photograph of a formation of the new
trainer appears overleaf.
New D. of S. at Cranwell T
HE new Director of Studies at R.A.F.
College, Cranwell, is Mr. A. Constant,
M.A., who succeeds Mr. P. Johnson.
Mr. Constant, a brother of Mr. Hayne
Constant, Director of the National Gas
Turbine Establishment, graduated at King's
College, Cambridge, in 1939. He specialized
in historical geography, and was reading
for a research degree when he joined the
wartime staff of the Director of Naval
Intelligence.
After the war he taught for a time at
HIGH-SPEED PADRE : Inspired by the pictorial
feature in our issue of December 12th, this photo
graph of the Rev. J. R. Payne and his pilot,
F/0. L. R. Klaffer, has been sent by No. 78 (F)
Wing, R.A.A.F., which is now stationed in Malta.
The padre is about to leave in a Meteor 7 to
conduct services for the R.A.F. and Australians
in North Africa.